Peppered Cockroach

Peppered Cockroach

(Archimandrita tessellata)

Seneca Park Zoo raises a colony of peppered cockroaches, both young and old and both males and females.

Animal Facts

Diet

Like other cockroaches, peppered cockroaches are decomposers, meaning they feed on dead and decaying organic matter. They are also omnivorous, feeding on both plant and animal matter.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Peppered cockroaches can be found in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia, where they prefer to live among the leaf litter on the humid forest floor.

Although not yet assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the peppered cockroach is widely regarded as not threatened due to observable large population sizes. As decomposers, these cockroaches are important nutrient-cyclers in the local food chains.

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Panamanian Golden Frog

Panamanian Golden Frog

Panamanian golden frogs are a bright golden-yellow color with some darker spots. The Zoo’s Panamanian golden frogs reside inside the CBE Building.

Animal Facts

Diet

Very small insects comprise the diet of these frogs.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The Panamanian golden frog historically inhabits mountainous rainforests and streams in Panama, but is believed they could be extinct in nature at this time.

Panamanian golden frogs are under pressure from loss of habitat, over collection and chytridiomycosis. Some scientists suspect that the Panamanian golden frog has been extinct in its natural range since 2006. Seneca Park Zoo is part of a larger conservation effort for these frogs, known as the Species Survival Plan (SSP).

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